Hundreds turn out for candlelight vigil

Local leaders reflect on the sacrifices made by Americans on Sept. 11.

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Ridgecrest Daily Independent - Ridgecrest, CA

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Posted Sep. 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Posted Sep. 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By Jack Barnwell

CITY EDITOR

jbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

Hundreds of candles lit up Freedom Park on Wednesday night as the community turned out to honor the first responders that died during rescue operations that occurred in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

For the sixth year in a row, the Exchange Club held the ceremony, which paid tribute to lives lost and deeds done during a day that reshaped the American way of life.

Recordings of the last phone calls made before commercial jet planes crashed into the Twin Towers, slammed into the Pentagon and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania played during the somber ceremony. Bagpipe music also filled Freedom Park before the ceremony began.

China Lake Firefighter Phorn Sothisom performed the Last Call and Table of Honor ceremony.

As a bell rang, a detachment of firefighters carried an empty stretcher bearing the American flag through a row of Marines and Navy sailors.

Over the loud speaker, a recording of China Lake's fire department thanked firefighters, police officers and medics who perished during the rescue operations.

Candles lit up Freedom Park one by one and then by the dozen. All of the candles represented what was referred to as a symbol of vigilance and hope.

“This event pays homage to those heroes who lost their lives and their families,” Exchange Club President George “Andy” Anderson said at the beginning of the ceremony. “We pay homage to those that acted in a courageous manner to save countless lives, those who sacrificed their own lives to save a stranger.”

Anderson said that 9/11 “gave every American a view of the atrocities that can be committed” against humanity.

“But it also did much more: It showed we, as Americans, would never waiver from doing right in the face of danger and adversity,” Anderson said. “Do not spend this evening remembering the horrible things, but instead, see through to the core of humanity and the souls of those who gave us everything and those who continue to make sure we’re safe.”

Anderson said that the candlelight vigil “is a fitting tribute to Kern County firefighters and to the first responders who gave their lives doing that which they knew was right.”

First-responder deaths reached 412 during the rescue attempts, including 343 firefighters from the Fire Department of New York City.

Throughout the vigil's program, community members recalled the impacts and outcome of the 9/11 attacks, from the deaths of the first responders to the wars that eventually followed.

Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake's chaplain Derrick Horne presided over both the beginning prayer and ending benediction, while a chorus conducted by the event's coordinator, Pat Farris, sang the U.S. National Anthem.

Page 2 of 3 - Cmdr. Matt Jackson, executive officer of NAWS China Lake, spoke about his experience during the terrorist attacks 12 years ago. Jackson said that at the time, he was a lieutenant serving in a Navy detachment at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado.

“I strongly remember watching the attacks on television and our commanding officer calling his officers and chiefs into a room shortly after the attacks,” Jackson said. “He told us what had happened at the time was a 'gut-check moment.'”

Even today, he said, troops are still in harm's way due to roadside bombs.

“Fortunately, those brave men and women have a place like China Lake with people … who give our warfighters the ability to carry out their mission and come home safely,” Jackson said. “I can tell you that our base cannot do it as effectively without the support of the patriotic community of Ridgecrest.”

Kern County Fire Chief Brian Marshall said that 9/11 was a defining moment for many people, including the first responders that answered the call to duty 12 years ago.

“We all remember events in the news, even if we were not there,” Marshall said. “It may have been an assassination attempt on a president, the destruction of the space shuttle, or the beginning of the war in Iraq, but as human beings, we all share those similar themes and memories.”

For firefighters, he said, some events are harder than others.

“The loss and pain that happened on 9/11 is something that I and every other firefighter in America will carry forever,” he said. “For most of us, that day started out like so many others: a shower, coffee, a quick breakfast and turning on the morning news.”

He said the first thing he saw that day was a burning high rise in New York City.

“This burning building was different and I was stunned by the sheer size of the event,” Marshall said.

Marshall was among those firefighters from Kern County that were dispatched to New York to help with search and rescue operations, and was struck by the enormity of the situation.

“I'm here to tell you today that I am proud of the American firefighters that keep us safe, but more than that I am humbled by the sacrifices of those who place themselves in harm's way every day to keep our country safe,” Marshall said. “To all the military and veterans gathered here, and to those that have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect each and every one of us, from the Kern County Fire Department and the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”

City Councilman Jim Sanders called the event very sobering.

Page 3 of 3 - “My daughter, halfway through the event, looked up at me and said 'Dad, I know what I want to be now, I want to be one of those heroes,'” Sanders said following the ceremony.

Sanders said the take away was to “honor those that sacrifice daily to ensure our safety.” He added that the event was a fitting tribute to those first responders who died 12 years ago.

“It helps to remember them and that is what they deserve,” Sanders said.